NIH to launch study to find causes of autism

As vaccines in general come under more scrutiny in the post-Covid mRNA world, and as environmental toxins are increasingly eyed as a major factor in triggering autism, including those in vaccines, this week the National Institutes of Health confirmed that it would undertake a study on the causes of autism and why prevalence rates continue to climb.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) director working under Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., had said during his confirmation hearing a month ago that such a study was a possibility. 

Bhattacharya told Congress scientists still had not determined the cause or causes of autism and that he would support “a broad scientific agenda, based on data, to get an answer to that.”

An HHS spokesperson confirmed the study this week.

“As President Trump said in his joint address to Congress, the rate of autism in American children has skyrocketed,” the spokesperson said. “We will leave no stone unturned in our mission to figure out what exactly is happening. The American people expect high-quality research and transparency, and that is what we are delivering.”

Both Kennedy and Trump reiterated their commitment to finding the cause of autism in statements to celebrate World Autism Day this past week. In a proclamation declaring World Autism Awareness Day, Trump acknowledged the increase in prevalence rates.

“Autism now affects 1 in 36 children in the United States, a staggering increase from the 1980s, when the disorder was found in only one to four out of every 10,000 individuals,” Trump said. “I created the Make America Healthy Again Commission to investigate and address the root causes of our escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood disorders like autism. As part of this effort, my administration is prioritizing gold-standard research and increasing transparency to gain new insights to aid those with ASD.”

Trump said early detection is crucial to improving the quality of life of those with ASD, and that timely intervention significantly improves long-term outcomes. 

“Identifying signs of autism at the onset allows parents and healthcare providers to implement therapies and support strategies which can enhance communication and social skills,” the president said. “Loving parents want the best for their children in educational environments and so do we. By supporting our children and their families, we can help them in overcoming challenges during childhood, the most crucial stage of development.”

In a post on X, Kennedy echoed the message.

“Today, on #WorldAutismAwarenessDay, I want to recognize the millions of Americans living with autism and their families,” Kennedy posted. “@POTUS has directed me to address and find out what is causing the autism epidemic and what we can do about it. @HHSgov is going to do everything in its power to ease the difficulties that so many of these individuals and families face. We’re going to rise to meet the challenge.”

HHS reorganization

The announcement of the study comes as HHS undergoes a major reorganization of its bureaucratic infrastructure, not to mention a radical reorientation of its mission under Kennedy’s direction.

The new study is a prime example of the new priorities. Federal health agencies had previously attributed autism to genetic disposition and increased diagnosis and awareness. 

But the study of autism’s causes is just the water’s edge as a new HHS sets sail. In addition to that study, which is expected to include the potential role vaccines play in the development of the disorder, the agency is also canceling billions of dollars in grant funding for research projects the government no longer feels are warranted, including ending funding for studies that focus on the reasons for vaccine hesitancy or on increasing interest in vaccines.

In a March 25 memo obtained by and published in Nature, the NIH issued guidance for staff to use to explain to recipients why their grants were being terminated.

“It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment,” the memo stated. “NIH is obligated to carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people and improve their quality of life. Your project does not satisfy these criteria.”

The memo also pointed to termination of grants related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) studies.

“Research programs based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry, do nothing to expand our knowledge of living systems, provide low returns on investment, and ultimately do not enhance health, lengthen life, or reduce illness,” the memo stated. “Worse, so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) studies are often used to support unlawful discrimination …, which harms the health of Americans. Therefore, it is the policy of NIH not to prioritize such research programs.”

The end of the pandemic provides cause to terminate Covid-related grant funds, too, the memo continued. 

“These grant funds were issued for a limited purpose: to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic,” the document states. “Now that the pandemic is over, the grant funds are no longer necessary.”

Studies on transgender issues also do not pass scientific muster, the memo continued.

“Research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return on investment, and do nothing to enhance the health of many Americans,” the memo states. “Many such studies ignore, rather than seriously examine, biological realities. It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize these research programs.”

China was on the do-not-fund list as well.

“Bolstering Chinese universities does not enhance the American people’s quality of life or improve America’s position in the world,” the memo states. “On the contrary, funding research in China contravenes American national-security interests and hinders America’s foreign-policy objectives.”

Reorganization

Along with reprioritizing the mission of federal health agencies, Kennedy also announced a sweeping reorganization of the bureaucratic infrastructure, saying the reorganization represented an implementation of Trump’s executive order to optimize the federal workforce. 

From the get-go, it eliminates 8,000 jobs at the mega-agency. The number was announced as 10,000 originally but 2,000 workers were reinstated.

According to HHS, the reduction in workforce alone will save taxpayers $1.8 billion a year without impacting critical services. All totaled, HHS estimates that the workforce reduction, combined with early retirement and buy outs, will reduce the HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.

Just as important, Kennedy said, is streamlining the functions of the department. 

“Currently, the 28 divisions of the HHS contain many redundant units,” the agency stated. “The restructuring plan will consolidate them into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA, and will centralize core functions such as Human Resources, Information Technology, Procurement, External Affairs, and Policy.”

Regional offices will be reduced from 10 to five.

The focuses of the newly overhauled department will be to end America’s epidemic of chronic illness by focusing on safe, wholesome food, clean water, and the elimination of environmental toxins, the agency stated. 

And finally, Kennedy said the restructuring would improve Americans’ experience with HHS by making the agency more responsive and efficient, while ensuring that Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential health services remain intact.

“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” Kennedy said. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic. This department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”

Specifically, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) will combine multiple agencies — the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) — into a new, unified entity. 

HHS says the centralization will improve coordination of health resources for low-income Americans and will focus on areas including primary care, maternal and child health, mental health, environmental health, HIV/AIDS, and workforce development. 

Also as part of the reorganization, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which is responsible for national disaster and public health emergency response, will transfer to the CDC, reinforcing its core mission to protect Americans from health threats.

A new assistant secretary for enforcement will oversee the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB), Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA), and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health programs. HHS will also merge the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation (ASPE) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to create the Office of Strategy to enhance research that informs the secretary’s policies and improves the effectiveness of federal health programs, the agency stated.

Finally, critical programs that support older adults and people with disabilities will be integrated into other HHS agencies, including the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), ASPE, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). HHS says the reorganization will not impact Medicare and Medicaid services.

“Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants,” Kennedy said. “This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves. That’s the entire American public, because our goal is to Make America Healthy Again.”

Lawmaker seeks answers

As the reorganization was announced, a barrage of criticism came from disgruntled former employees, some accusing Kennedy of betraying his commitment to “radical transparency” at the agency, by shuttering or gutting several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) offices at various subagencies, including the FDA and the CDC.

However, a Kennedy spokesperson said the goal is to create a central place to handle FOIA requests, making it easier for the customer to make open records requests in a one-stop-shop fashion. Officials also say it will provide more centralized oversight of requests to prevent subagencies from ignoring FOIA requests made by the public and even lawmakers.

One of those lawmakers has been Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), who addressed that concern this past week in his own request for information on vaccines from major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna.

In fact, Johnson the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), sent letters this week to Moderna, Pfizer, BioNTech US, and Johnson & Johnson seeking records and communications about the development and safety of the Covid-19 vaccines. 

In the letters, Johnson cited many billions of taxpayer dollars the companies received to manufacture and deliver Covid vaccines — vaccines he said have since been associated with reports of myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. 

The senator also referenced past attempts by HHS to conceal records related to the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines. Johnson’s requests included internal and external communications related to reports of adverse events, clinical trials, and testing of the vaccines against variants of SARS-CoV-2. The requests also asked for communications between vaccine manufacturers, the federal government, and social media platforms.

“On July 22, 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech SE entered into a $1.95 billion advance-purchase agreement with the federal government, to be paid upon Pfizer’s delivery of 100 million vaccine doses,” Johnson wrote to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. “On December 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine became the first to receive Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, but it would not receive full FDA approval until August 23, 2021, under the brand name Comirnaty.”

Comirnaty, as with other Covid-19 vaccines, has since been associated with reports of adverse events following vaccination, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, Johnson observed.

“I expect you to fully comply with this request, but I am mindful that your company may choose to mimic the Department of Health and Human Services’ past efforts to conceal records about the development, safety, and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines,” he wrote. “Any attempt to obstruct or delay responses to this request will result in compulsory process.”

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.